Jim Nabors, television’s Gomer Pyle, confirmed that he’s gay and that he married his partner of nearly 40 years earlier this month in an interview with a telephone interview with a Honolulu news service.

Nabors, 82, and Stan Cadwallader, 64, who are Hawaii residents, married in Seattle on Jan. 15. The state of Washington made gay marriage legal in December. “I’m 82 and he’s in his 60s, and so we’ve been together for 38 years and I’m not ashamed of people knowing,” Nabors tells Hawaii News Now. “It’s just that it was such a personal thing, I didn’t tell anybody.”

Nabors, who co-starred on "The Andy Griffith Show" as the sweet-natured auto mechanic Pyle before headlining "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C." for five years, says that one of the reasons they tied the knot is to solidify their rights as a couple in case of medical issues.

“I’m very happy that I’ve had a partner of 38 years and I feel very blessed,” said Nabors. “And, what can I tell you, I’m just very happy.”

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